Passing Encounter
by Skylark Starflower
Summary: A young girl helps Jack upon his way.


Author's note/Disclaimer: I don't own Samurai Jack. It belongs to Cartoon Network and all the other people who own it.

So…I started this with the intent to turn it into a long story, to actually answer some of the questions about the mysterious girl, but…even I didn't know what they were. I figured I'd come up with something eventually and finish this, but I never did. So I decided I'd finish it as a short scene and if I were to ever come up with the rest of the story, I'd finish it then. So for now, there's this. Maybe someday there'll be more.

"**Passing Encounter"  
****By Skylark Starflower  
****Started June 3, 2005  
****Finished May 7, 2007**

The wind whistled through the trees, causing the branches to sway, swinging in the breeze like little hands waving in a crowd. There were few leaves remaining, and those were beginning to turn colours as autumn slowly turned into winter. The air was otherwise silent save for the occasional birdcall.

In the distance, a straw hat became visible as it rose over the peak of a hill, followed shortly by the man wearing it. His white Gi flowed about his body as he moved, one hand at the hilt of the blade hidden in the scabbard at his side, the other holding the scabbard itself. His wooden sandals made little sound at his footfalls, despite the bedding of dried leaves beneath his feet.

Samurai Jack cast his gaze around the forest, on high alert. Again, he'd been attacked by and managed to chase off Aku's robotic minions, but he could not be certain that there wouldn't be more to come. He ignored the pain in his shoulder and the blood dripping down his arm from the wound he'd sustained from the previous battle for the time being and continued on his cautious way.

The sun was at its zenith; the air around Jack grew hotter as the trees thinned then gave way to open, grassy fields. He looked around, wondering if he would soon find a safe place to rest and bind his wound. He realized that if he allowed the injury to continue bleeding freely, he could seriously weaken himself, and that would not help him. But he also could not afford to drop his guard in case of a second attack.

He continued to walk forward, sword at the ready, straw hat drawn down across his eyes to shade them from the sun. He would treat his wound once he was certain all was safe; he did not think it was bleeding too badly at the moment.

The ground grew flatter and more barren as he crossed it, and he could see no sign of attack on the horizon. He lowered his guard and paused to think. Should he stop here and treat his injury, or should he press on further in hopes of finding a body of water ahead? He decided it would be foolish to continue without doing something to halt the flow of blood at least. He tore a strip of cloth from the damaged arm of his Gi and tied it around his shoulder as best he could before moving on once more.

The hot air was beginning to get to Jack. It had been a while since he'd last gotten a chance to rest, but he did not want to stop in the middle of a barren field. He would search for shade and rest once he found some.

He didn't get much further before the strain he'd already placed on himself that day finally caught up to him. His vision swam before going black, and he slid soundlessly to the ground.

X X X

Plip. Plip. Plip.

Jack awoke to the sound of water dripping somewhere nearby, and the quiet gurgling of a small stream of water. The air was cool and damp. He was unsure of how long he'd been unconscious; the light was not bright enough to penetrate through his eyelids.

He opened his eyes and looked around. He was in a cave, moisture dripping from the walls and ceiling. A small brook ran though the rock beside where he lay, most likely fed by an underground spring.

He sat up, groaning quietly as he stretched sore muscles, and wondered how he'd gotten there. But even as he was thinking this, a slight, feminine form unfolded itself from a crouch by the water. Jack had failed to notice her earlier. She walked over to his side and offered him a cup of water, which he gratefully accepted.

"Thank you." He inclined his head to her slightly and handed the cup back once he had drank from it.

The girl took the cup, and then nodded back to him before going back to the streambed. She knelt, her back to Jack and started to do something he could not see. As she busied herself by the water, he examined his wounded shoulder. Someone had redressed the injury expertly. Since no one else seemed to be present, Jack guessed that it had been the girl.

"Young one," he said, once more breaking the relative silence. "I must thank you again for treating my wound. I am in your debt." Pressing his hands together, he bowed in her direction.

Again, the girl didn't speak. Rising from the waterside, she turned towards him, a small smile crossing her face. She clutched the cup to her chest, as her smile grew wider. It seemed she tried to laugh, but for some reason, no sound came from her. Her good humour was contagious, however, and Jack couldn't help but smile back.

She held out the cup to him once more, as if to ask if he would like more water. He shook his head. "No, thank you. I am good." He glanced thoughtfully around the cave. "Do you live here?"

She shook her head, and moved closer to the mouth of the cave to point out a direction in which Jack understood her village lay. As she stood closer to the light, he got his first good look at her. She was a young girl, not a child, but not quite an adult yet, either. She was short and slender, with straight brown hair that fell just past her ears. Her bangs fell across slightly almond shaped blue eyes.

Jack took little notice of this, however, his eyes falling to her neck. Though the girl wore a scarf, it failed to cover all of the scarring. It seemed to explain why she did not speak. Noticing where his eyes had settled, the girl frowned and adjusted the scarf in an attempt to hide her disfiguration. He said nothing about it, however. It really wasn't any of his business.

Looking away, Jack attempted to stand, groaning quietly once more as his sore muscles complained at the movement. Once he was up, he found that though his body still ached somewhat, he felt strong enough to resume his travels. He noticed that the girl was watching him, her expression quizzical. Again, he made a slight bow in her direction. "I am grateful for your help, but I must continue on now."

The girl's expression became blank, and she nodded. She now stepped fully into the sunlight outside of the cave mouth, waiting for Jack to follow. At first, he had to squint in the bright light, but once his eyes adjusted, he could see that he had been moved to a hilly, wooded area. He wasn't sure if it were the tree belt he had passed through earlier or not, but it mattered little to him.

"Farewell." With that, he began to walk, using the sun as a guide to finding his path once more. He didn't look back, though if he had, he might have noticed the girl waving goodbye, a smile on her face and his straw hat upon her head.

**The End**


End file.
